Wednesday, December 08, 2010

Movie: I Need That Record! (MVD Visual, 2010)

The independent record store holds a special place in my heart. For a while I was a regular at a couple of great ones, The Last Vestige (my home away from home during grad school) and the long lamented Izzy's Records (one of the few bastions of culture in urban New Jersey) where I met my friend John. These were not just places of commerce, but gathering places for all of the local music fans, a place to share gossip, talk about upcoming concerts and take part in a shared passion. With the homogenization of the music industry and the rise of music downloading, independent record stores became a vanishing breed. That is the crux of this film, where the director looks at the vanishing indie store, and talks to several people involved in the industry. Particularly pointed is the film crew documenting the closing of one beloved store, capturing the emotional reactions of the staff and patrons. Also interesting were interviews with musicians like Lenny Kaye, Thurston Moore and Mike Watt, who talked about the changing landscape of the music industry. There's a short clip of one of my favorite rock and roll bands, The Black Keys, playing an in store performance at a local music shop followed by a brief interview. This interesting movie was clearly a labor of love and has a DIY vibe to it much like the record stores that they champion. Combining a bit of nostalgia and an angry fist against the changing of the guard, this is a fascinating pean to a vanishing breed. I Need That Record! - amazon.com